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Nicholas Again Hardcover – March 14, 2006

4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 46 ratings

Nicholas Again is the second in a series of five books about a young schoolboy who is amusing, endearing and always in trouble. Written by the author of Asterix, René Goscinny, and featuring witty illustrations by New Yorker cartoonist, Jean-Jacques Sempé, this book brings to life the adventures and exploits of Nicholas and his friends. Whether at school or at home, the children are caught up in a series of hilarious escapades that always result in confusion – at least for their teachers and parents. This classic book, still a best-seller in France more than forty years after it was first published, is now available in English to be read, reread and loved forever.
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. Irrepressible French schoolboy Nicholas returns in this follow-up to 2006 Batchelder Honor book Nicholas (2005)--the first two of five existing books to be affectionately translated by Bell, none of which have been previously available in the U.S. In brief, stand-alone vignettes punctuated with line drawings by New Yorker illustrator Sempe, Nicholas continues to tussle with his gang of elementary-school pals, exasperate Old Spud and other school officials, and obliviously push his parents' buttons. The sophisticated-looking cloth format may be difficult for some young readers to get past, as will a few dated references (Asterix creator Goscinny originated this character in the 1950s). There are also elements that seem out of place in an illustrated chapter book, including humor drawn from adult-world dynamics and one insult translated as "feeble-ass." Readers who enthusiastically tackle American novels about mischievous elementary school kids may not be quite up to this worldlier French version, but they'll certainly enjoy hearing the silliest tales read aloud, and chapter-a-day sharing may help gather an audience among slightly older children, too. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Jean-Jacques Sempé (b.1932) is one of the world's most successful illustrators and cartoonists. He is the illustrator of the classic children's-book character, Nicholas, and author of a collection of some thirty albums of his cartoons and graphic novels, all published or to be published by Phaidon. His world-renowned illustrations and cartoons are featured on the cover of the New Yorker and in Paris Match.

René Goscinny (1926 - 1977) is the world-famous writer and creator, along with Albert Uderzo, of the adventures of Asterix the Gaul. Born in Paris, Goscinny lived in Buenos Aires and New York before returning to France in the 1950s where he met Jean-Jacques Sempé. They collaborated on picture strips and then stories about Nicholas, the popular French schoolboy. An internationally successful children's author who also won awards for his animated cartoons, Goscinny died in 1977.

Anthea Bellwas awarded the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize and the Helen and Kurt Wolff Prize (USA) in 2002 for her translation of W.G. Sebald's Austerlitz. Her many works of translation from French and German (for which she has received several other awards) include the Nicholas books and, with Derek Hockridge, the entire Asterix the Gaul saga by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Phaidon Press; First Edition (March 14, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 120 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0714845647
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0714845647
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.88 x 8.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 46 ratings

About the author

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Rene Goscinny
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Best known as the author of Asterix, Goscinny is

also the talent behind the scenario of Lucky Luke, the hugely popular

comic book of 'the cowboy who shoots faster than his shadow'. Goscinny

was born on 11 August 1926 in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, the son

of Stanislas (Simkha) from Warsaw and of Anna Beresniak from

Khodorkow, a small Ukrainian village. In 1928, his parents took him to

Argentina, where his father, a chemical engineer, had been

seconded. He spent a happy childhood in Buenos Aires, and studied at

the French Lyce just before the Second World War. He had a habit of

making every one laugh in class, probably to compensate for a natural

shyness. He started drawing very early on, inspired by the illustrated

stories which he enjoyed reading. In 1945, he emigrated to the United

States. "I went to the United States to work with Walt Disney" he was

to say later "but Walt Disney didn't know that". He found himself in

New York, jobless, alone and totally broke. The next 6 years, which he

spent in New York, are often considered his formative years. As he

said "It was not so bad...it toughened me up, although I would have

liked it better if others had been toughened up on my behalf". It is

during these years that he met his first friends, some who were to

publish "Mad" in 1945, and others with whom he was to collaborate for

a long time to come. Among these was Maurice de Bvre aka Morris, the

cartoonist and first author of Lucky Luke. He also met Georges

Troisfontaines, the boss of the World Press Agency in Belgium, who

persuaded Goscinny to work for him. He returned to Europe in 1951 for

this purpose, but was fired in 1956 for trying to put in place a

charter to protect the status of cartoonists and scenarist. The years

until the creation of the magazine "Pilote" were years of transition,

when Goscinny's talent matured and he seized upon many

opportunities. Besides his collaboration with Morris on the Lucky Luke

series from 1955 onwards, Goscinny worked on the scenario of "Le petit

Nicolas" (Little Nicholas) in cartoon form with its creator, Sempe. In

1959 the magazine "Pilote" was launched. Goscinny found his place in the

editorial team among some of his faithful friends from World

Press. The aim of "Pilote" was to change radically the way that the

graphic novel ("the BD") would be perceived in France, and competed

with "Tintin" and "Spirou" magazines on their own territories. How best to

go about that task than by inventing an astute little Gaul, give him a

large size sidekick and place their adventures within a little village

of irreducible Gauls whose names all end in -ix? Asterix is born. The

bande dessinee enters adulthood. He married Gilberte Pollaro-Millo in

1967. In 1968 his daughter Anne is born. Many young authors owe their

fame to Goscinny, who opened for them the pages of "Pilote". While

working on scenarios for the television and the cinema and on many

different texts, Goscinny headed Pilote in one capacity or another

until his death on 5 November 1977.

Photo by Peters, Hans / Anefo [CC BY-SA 3.0 nl (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
46 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the books humorous and enjoyable for all ages. They recommend them to fun-loving boys and say the series is great for the whole family.

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8 customers mention "Humor"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book. They find it enjoyable for children and adults, with funny pictures inside the book. The books are recommended for fun-loving boys and are family favorites.

"These books are classic and as funny for children as they are for adults. It so funny how relevant a lot of the stories still are today...." Read more

"...And it’s actually pretty funny 😂...." Read more

"Great book for boys! It’s hard to find a good read for boys. My whole family enjoyed this book. It’s AR!" Read more

"delightful, funny book; thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommended for fun-loving boys. Well-written and without a hint of PC...." Read more

4 customers mention "Enjoyment"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book series. They find it humorous and entertaining, describing it as a great series for the whole family.

"...I checked the first book out at our local library and thoroughly enjoyed it, as did my 9-year-old daughter...." Read more

"delightful, funny book; thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommended for fun-loving boys. Well-written and without a hint of PC...." Read more

"Nicholas - great series, for the whole family. A lot of good laugh, funny pictures inside book. Hard-materal cover and high quality paper." Read more

"Classic great books...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Top reviews from other countries

  • ik
    5.0 out of 5 stars great book
    Reviewed in Canada on August 29, 2024
    its a great author, my daughter loves him so much, funny and easy for reading, yet nicely written.
  • fastreader
    5.0 out of 5 stars A classic for all ages
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2015
    I love these books. Some years ago my daughter and her family, along with two crew, were sailing from the state of Maine to the Isle of Wight, and I grabbed the excuse to join the boat in Greenland. I brought one of the Nicholas books with me, and each evening before dinner I would read a chapter to the assembled cast of characters: a five-year-old, a three-year-old, their parents, my wife, and the twenty-something lad and lass who worked as crew. We all eight of us, spanning seventy years, four generations, and three nationalities, wept with laughter. Nicholas was the highlight of our day, ranking right up there with the Northern Lights and the foundation of Erik the Red's house at Bratalhid.
  • Harald Struve
    5.0 out of 5 stars Children's Story for Grown-Ups
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2012
    It istn't the first Nicholas book that I've read and so I actually knew what to expect.You wouldn't think it possible to constantly get new and humorous twists of mischief out of just a bunch of primary school boys, but that's exactly what happens.Inevitaby nearly every little story takes you back to your own childhood and makes you wonder why your thoughts were so surprisingly compatible with those of our "heroes".I myself use the books as reading material in adult education in Germany at the level of "advanced beginners (B2)" and have had no negative feedback so far,from no matter which age groups... and they range from about twenty to over ninety years of age.This book itself, with its lovely blue cover and embossed Nicholas is really a jewel for the bookshelf, and because the stories aren't so very long, it makes reading easy and relaxed.The translation from the original French into English has lost nothing of its to the point humour.
  • David L. Hamilton
    5.0 out of 5 stars Kids are addicted
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 15, 2009
    My 6 year old kids absolutely love these books, even though the stories seem kind of dry from an adult perspective when reading, they are absolutely perfect for the intended audience.

    Most books tend not to have primary school aged children punching each other on the nose, calling each other fat or nuts and running away from home & school but these do and maybe that's why they're so popular????

    Fantastic illustrations throughout the book too from the master himself, René Goscinny..
  • Mrs. K. A. Wheatley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Nicholas
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2008
    This is the second of four books about Nicholas. They are all the same format, short, humorous stories told as if by Nicholas, a small French schoolboy, about the life of adventures that he and his gang of friends get up to. The first three are concerned with his school life and the last is about what he gets up to in the holidays.

    This rerelease by Phaidon is a welcome return to a childhood favourite of mine. These are beautiful clothbound hardbacks with the original illustrations which do much to add to the wit and humour of the stories. My children love them and I love reading them to my children.

    In this collection our favourites have been Uncle George's Nose and The Medical Examination.